Wireless communication systems typically include wireless access nodes which provide access to communication services for wireless communication devices over wireless links. A typical wireless communication system includes systems to provide wireless access across a geographic region, with different wireless coverage areas associated with individual wireless access nodes. The wireless access systems exchange communications between wireless communication devices, service providers, and other network elements. The communications typically include voice calls, data exchanges, web pages, streaming media, text messages, and other communication services. In Long-Term Evolution (LTE) communication systems, a wireless communication device is referred to as User Equipment (UE), while a wireless access node is called an enhanced Node B (eNodeB).
In some geographic areas, such as rural or remote locations, it is impractical or not cost effective to install eNodeB base stations to provide coverage to a small number of users. In such situations, wireless repeaters may be employed to relay communications between the UE devices and a serving eNodeB, thereby expanding the coverage footprint of the network. However, due to the unobtrusive design goal of wireless repeaters, which are intended to operate transparently to the UE and backend location systems, the UE and other network systems currently have no way to tell the difference between whether the UE is attached directly to an eNodeB tower or to a remotely located wireless repeater. Thus, when the location of a UE device is needed, such as for location-based commercial services or emergency services, the use of wireless repeaters distort the returned location if the eNodeB tower that is ultimately serving the UE is used to estimate the location of the UE, particularly when the eNodeB is located a great distance from the UE device and the repeater to which the UE is attached.